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Adios Reyes, Ola Beast?

So here we are kids, in front of the transfer window – and will it be round, square or arched?

Clearly, this year things have been complicated by Reyes and Cole, but there’s still time (some 16 hours at the time of writing) to strike a deal before the clock strikes twelve. Perhaps we shouldn’t discount any activity being loans – the Grauniad and the Times this morning suggest we have not [yet] accepted Atletico Madrid’s more than reasonable offer for Reyes because there’s a chance of doing a loan swap with Real Madrid – Baptista for Reyes. All the indications we’ve been given over the last 12 months when Baptista’s name first came up was that the man in question doesn’t want to come to England – but for 12 months, it might be a good deal for both parties. The Indy, on the other hand, reckons it’s a permanent deal. If that’s true, let’s hope The Beast learns to love England, otherwise we’re going to get another “I’m Homesick/Hate The Weather/Can’t Learn English/Miss My Mum” kind of player. And given our experiences with Reyes, that’s the very last thing we need.

The Times also reckons both Mascherano and Tevez will join “an English club on loan”, though which one[s] it is not clear. It could be Arsenal, the paper says, or it could be an ambitious, smaller club like Pompey. SkySports has its money on them going to West Ham. We shall see.

As for Cole – well who cares. For reasons of club harmony, and on a point of principle, I’d like to see him gone. But on a pragmatic level, he’d be worth having till January as we’ve got nobody better.

What a day. I shall update as something/nothing unfolds.

13:08
Well I can tell you who we haven’t signed – Mascherano and Tevez. They’ve gone to ‘Alan’s ‘Appy ‘Ammers, of all places. Get your head round that one if you can. Lots of conspiracy theories about this one already…

13:20
Boro’s Chief Executive, speaking of Bob Huth’s transfer, has just explained that the deal has been done bar the signature of Peter Kenyon, who is on “other business” and that “it doesn’t take a genius to work out” where the Russians’ Chief Exec currently is.

Sounds to me like the Cole deal is still on…

17:10
Well blow me down if West Ham haven’t gone and signed both Tevez and Mascherano on permanent deals. How on earth has this happened?